2025/12/23 by Matthias Berlandi · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Byzantine Studies and History #Coining (mint) #Eleventh #Eurasian Exchange Networks #Interpretation (philosophy) #Medieval Literature and History #Monarchy #Resistance (ecology)
paper · doi:10.1080/03044181.2025.2603310
openalex created_date 2025/12/23 · openalex publication_date 2025/12/23 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
The Saxon War of 1073–1075 remains a controversial topic in medieval studies, particularly regarding its causes. Research often focuses on cultural factors, such as divergent ideas of kingship or church reform. These approaches have been criticised in more recent contributions for their limited explanatory scope and are now supplemented by alternative, economic explanations that point to territorial and economic conflicts of interest. So far, the role that the rich silver deposits in the Harz may have played has not yet been discussed. However, archaeological and numismatic findings show that mining and the associated economic interests were a driving force behind the tensions among Henry IV, the Saxon nobility, and the bishops of Halberstadt and Hildesheim. The Saxon uprising can thus be understood as an escalation of economic conflicts that were intensified by the decline in silver production from 1040 onward.